The official said today as the most violent cyclone in nearly two decades barreled towards the country and neighbouring Myanmar, Bangladesh attempted to transfer Rohingya refugees from risky areas to community centres and hundreds fled an island.

Cyclone Mocha had winds of up to 175 kilometres per hour (109 miles per hour) and meteorological officials in Dhaka described it as “very severe”, while their Indian counterparts called it “extremely severe”.

It is predicted to reach landfall between Cox’s Bazar, where almost one million Rohingya refugees reside in makeshift camps, and Sittwe on Myanmar’s western Rakhine coast on Sunday morning.

The head of Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department, Azizur Rahman said, “Cyclone Mocha is the most powerful storm since Cyclone Sidr”.

In November 2007, a hurricane slammed Bangladesh’s southern coast, killing over 3,000 people and incurring billions of dollars in damage.

Bangladeshi officials have prohibited the Rohingya from building permanent concrete homes for fear of incentivizing them to settle permanently rather than return to Myanmar, where they fled five years ago.

A refugee living in the Nayapara camp near the border town of Teknaf, Enam Ahmed said, “We live in houses made of tarpaulin and bamboo”.

Enam Ahmed further said, “We are scared. We don’t know where we will be sheltered. We are in a panic”.

Forecasters anticipate a torrent of rain, which can cause landslides. The majority of the camps are situated on hillsides and landslips are a common phenomenon in the area.

The storm is also expected to cause a four metres (13 feet) storm surge, which could inundate low-lying coastal and riverine villages.

Thousands of volunteers are evacuating Rohingyas from risky areas to more substantial facilities such as schools.

However, Bangladesh’s deputy refugee commissioner Shamsud Douza said, “All the Rohingyas in the camps are at risk”.

Panic has gripped 8,000 residents on Saint Martin’s, Bangladesh’s southernmost island, with the tiny coral outcrop, one of the country’s top vacation areas, directly in the path of the storm.

Dilara Begum, a resident, travelled to Teknaf to wait out the storm.

She said, “Many have also left”.

“It is an island in the middle of the sea. We have been living in fear over the past few days”, she added.

“Around 1,000 Saint Martin’s islanders have done the same, taking 250 boats to Teknaf to avoid being washed away”, said officials.

Chittagong, the country’s largest seaport, has been closed down, as have boat transport and fishing activities.

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